When Is A Crossdresser a Transgender Woman?

Pam, a dear reader of Crossdresser Heaven asked me a rather insightful question over email last week. When does a lady move from being a crossdresser to being a transgendered woman?

Now, many of us use the term “transgender” as an umbrella term to cover many points along the gender spectrum. I covered some of the terminology in an article that helps readers understand crossdressing. For the sake of the question though, I’m going to assume that Pam is referring to transgender as a step somewhere along the journey to full womanhood.

When I first started Crossdresser Heaven I thought of myself as a crossdresser. A man who enjoyed dressing in woman’s clothing and expressing as the feminine gender. Over the last two years I’ve started thinking of myself as transgender. I no longer think of myself as male, at least not fully male. Rather than an occasional activity I consider presenting as a woman the true expression of my gender identity. There is a joy, peace and rightness I experience when I present as a woman in the world. The seductive thrill of escape has been replaced by a freedom – a musical symphony of the soul – that I have never experienced before.

In my opinion one moves from being a crossdresser to being a transgendered woman when they consider themselves a woman – they identify as a woman. What do you think? When is a crossdresser no longer a crossdresser?

In last week’s poll you shared your secrets for sounding more feminine and expressing your transgender voice. Almost half of you talk softly to mask your masculine voice, with a quarter keeping your voices even softer and trying not to speak unless you absolutely have to. I can well understand the fear of speaking as a woman, and how easily it is to out yourself. It requires a lot of practice to develop a passable voice. Talking softly can help you get by if you occasionally crossdress and find that many hours spent practicing just aren’t worth the payoff.

I’d also encourage you to be confident, smile and be yourself. There’s nothing like a pleasant disposition to lift another’s chance of acceptance (if not the tone of your voice…). If you avoid speaking at all costs you could very well seem stranger than a woman with a full bodied voice 🙂

Until next time – may your life song sing with a voice as sweet as the divine feminine within you.

my dress is quite bright, black shiney trousers and always a long wasted blue shirt worn loose, top 2 buttons always undone,I am not in a position,to wear all the clothes I would like,but do wear shapewear, again all the time.my own hair is brown,and reaches to just above my nipples, I have been on hormones for over a year now and my breasts,are quite prominent.I am a transsexual I love the feel of the wind blowing my clothes against my body,I just do not feel like a man, I would love to crossdress fully but cannot,its great reading about those who do

I have personally used the following definitions internally (which is to say, when considering the label I apply to myself – I tend to stay as far afield of identity politics as I can by allowing any other person the leeway to decide what label they feel describes themselves best, and barring gross inaccuracy this tends to work fairly well):

A cross-dresser is someone who intentionally expresses elements of another gender with which they do not fundamentally identify. A man who enjoys dressing as a woman but still considers himself a man is well-defined as a cross-dresser.

If someone identifies as some combination of the binary genders, or outside of it altogether, I would use either the term fluid-gendered or bi-gendered.

Once someone identifies as a gender that does not match their birth-assigned gender, I would use the term transgendered. This is where I fall myself.

I mentally reserve the terms ‘MtF’ and ‘FtM’ for people who have transitioned to living full-time (with or without HRT).

I’m torn on whether I like the term transsexual at all. If anything, it would apply to someone who, at a minimum, is undergoing HRT, whether or not they intend to pursue SRS.

Again, these are very internal definitions, and I don’t hold anyone else to them. Gender identity can be a very sensitive topic for some people (including me, frequently), and arguing about what term is ‘correct’ for them is really presumptuous and counter-productive.

A person is transgendered only if and when they were willing to appear in public in either male or female attire. The act itself does not mean a person is transgendered, it is the way they act and behave that determines it. A male in a dress or skirt who still acts macho is just crossdressed, however if he acts in a feminate manner he is allowing his feminine side to shine for all to see and is proud of it. A person’s mannerisms determine how they are perceived by society

A transsexual exists whether they have ever cross dressed or not. Their true gender, disguised by their bodies, is already known to them, or about to be revealed to them through life experience, or a professional contact. Some cross dress and later discover through professional evaluation they are TS’s! Some discover it on their own. Many TS’s live the role without ever having surgury, either because of monetary circumstances, or convenience, or personal need. Most cross dressers just dress for the thrill, or whatever. Those who dress for the thrill, kicks, or sexual bang they get out of it are no more a woman than a cement wall!

I think Carol has hit the nail on the head here,
it doesn’t matter whether you’re crossdressed or not, clothes only cover what people see on the outside, it’s what the person is feeling on the inside that will determine if they are transgendered or not.

to me when a crossdresser is transgender person is when they live full time in the gender of their choicing with out help of
hormones nor and surgery except for maybe plastic surgery primarly on the face to make them look more fem and or
more muslline

Im not to sure as i feel comfortable in both rolls , of course if im a girl then i act to manner as seen and enjoy the joy s of being a women for the day when out in public
, likewise if in guy mode my manners will follow that of a ordinary chap ..
I suppose if your content as a women then your then transgender, but i have to say im fairly balanced in that i dont feels that neither the female or male persona has more dominance…
hope that all makes sence

Definitely – I know a few people who firmly identify as male, but cross the gender line on occasion. The big difference for me is how painful doing that would be. I’d die if I couldn’t live as myself. (Well, die is such a passive way of putting it, since I’m sure I would’ve taken an active role in it’s instantiation)

I actually hate labels because we are all in a state of being as an individual. It is very difficult to draw a line between varying groups of individuals as there are so many over lapping characteristics. For myself I feel a crossdresser is transgender. With that being said though I also think the move from being a crossdresser to transgender is a state of mind, self acceptance. Self acceptance of being transgender is the fine line between the two in my mind. For me the physical line was the threshold, stepping from the closet into public, of which came after my self acceptance. But again this won’t hold true for everyone because we are individuals.

So as I progress in my crossdressing I’m starting to feel I identify more as a woman, I look back at my life and realized that I was never really good at football have always been socially awkward around all men and I easily get my feelings hurt. I took some tests last night to see how feminine I really am and it’s said I’m 95%female which I’m ok with but I’m scared. I like everything about the opposite sex I like the clothes the way they walk, how they talk, how they can shop anywhere and have a good time, how their body is naturally curvy and gorgeous. But I also like women and don’t want to change that. It’s very hard Cuz I kind of want to be breeann full time but also want to be a male, I won’t even say man Cuz I don’t think of myself as a man lol. If you wonderful ladies have any advice I’d love to hear it.

i really don’t like a lot of labels cause its not how you are on the outside its how you feel on the inside I know people try to put a name or a title on everything lets just say we are all human beings I don’t think we need a category to label us as trans this or that. My opinion that’s all cause people mix up labels to easily they might think a crossdresser is homosexual when that might not be true at all. I like to leave it as we are all people in different stages of our lives.

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